


Passing the Stars

by dontdowhatihavedone



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Roller Derby, F/M, Genderbending, Mechanic Marco, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Rule 63, Swearing, rule 63 on the 104th except for marco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-28
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-13 17:32:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1235074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontdowhatihavedone/pseuds/dontdowhatihavedone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco's always felt like he's living his life on the sidelines, waiting for something he can't define, until he's pulled into the fast track.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Derby Virgin

**Author's Note:**

> Everything I know about roller derby came from Wikipedia and that Ellen Paige movie I watched like five years ago

"MAAAARCOOOOOOOOO!!" A loud pounding juddered through Marco's eardrum's and grated against his brain. He groaned, cracking an eye from where he was collapsed facedown on his couch. He knew that voice. Why was that voice trying to break into his house when all he wanted to do was nap? He wavered between getting up or just letting them destroy his front door, but as the banging grew louder, probably the person outside making the transition from fists to feet, he dragged himself up as fast as his tired limbs would allow.

 

"MARCO I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T OPEN UP IN THE NEXT MINUTE I WILL KICK THIS DOOR DOWN!"

 

"Mina, jesus christ!" he shouted back, sleep still slurring his speech. "You have a key, what are you even doing?"

 

He finally made it to the door and yanked it open, revealing a girl in her late teens standing outside, fist raised to slam back down against the door. She grinned brightly at him, twin black ponytails whipping in the wind as she ducked past him. "Yeah, but my keyring's in the bottom of my bag somewhere."

 

Marco raised his eyes to the ceiling of the overhang outside his apartment door and silently asked whatever higher powers may be for the patience to deal with his little sister.

 

Turning around, he found her with her head buried inside his fridge, bag dumped on the floor next to the couch. "Don't touch the alcohol."

 

She snorted, still face-deep in whatever leftovers and condiments he had. "Your beer is gross and you'd skin me alive, so I don't think so."

 

He chuckled, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "What's up, little sis? Haven't seen you in a week."

 

"Weeell," she started, standing back up with a Coke in hand and a coy smile plastered across her face.

 

"No," Marco cut in, eyes widening. "No no no, I know that voice and I know that face. No way. Whatever you're thinking, no."

 

The smile turned into a pout, brown eyes going wide and voice turning pleading. "But Marcooo..."

 

He tried to be strong, he really did, but he'd never been the tough older brother. After a second he gave up, sighing. "What?"

 

The grin returned.

* * *

"Why did I ever let you talk me into this?" Marco wondered, staring up at the fairly ramshackle sign screaming "WAR OF THE WHEELS" in DayGlo green hung on the side of an even more ramshackle warehouse.

 

"Because you're weak-willed and I'm adorable," Mina answered, barely audible over the pounding music from inside and the clamor of the crowd around them.

 

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you say?"

 

"Um... Because you're the best older brother ever?" The big brown eyes made a reappearance.

 

Marco sighed, looking back at the building. "I'm gonna regret this," he said to himself.

 

Five minutes later, they had shuffled up to the door. A tall person with a long auburn ponytail stood at one side of the door, grinning like a maniac. The other side was flanked by a short man with a black undercut who looked like someone had shoved a lemon up his nose. They were taking money, five dollars a person, and stamping people's hands before letting them pass. The black-haired siblings stepped up to the person with the ponytail on the right, who somehow managed to smile even wider at them.

 

"My god you have a lot of freckles!" they shouted, directly into Marco's face.

 

His eyes crossed as he tried to focus on their face, barely inches from his own. "Umm..."

 

"I've never seen you here before! Are you new?!" they asked enthusiastically, pulling back slightly.

 

"Uh, yeah, we are," Marco answered, handing them a ten dollar bill.

 

They nodded sagely, ponytail bouncing, and smashed the stamp they were holding onto the backs of the siblings' hands. "You've got the look," they laughed. "Have fun! Oh, and," they leaned in conspiratorily close to Marco, "don't sit too close to the front."

 

Marco's brow furrowed in confusion and he started to ask a question, but they had already turned to the next people in line. Mina looked up at Marco and shrugged, and together they walked into the makeshift roller-derby rink.

 

The warehouse had been gutted to make way for a roller rink in the center. The track itself was a slightly raised platform, painted lines on the floor marking it out. Another platform, looking about big enough for one person, was set in the center, huge speakers placed around the base. Spotlights hung from the rafters, lighting the track and center. Bleachers climbed the walls along the edges of the room, but a few rows of folding chairs were placed around the track itself. Remembering the warning from the person guarding the door, Marco grabbed Mina's arm and tugged her towards one of the bleachers. She followed him up, settling next to him when he found an open space a few rows down from the top.

 

"Roller derby, huh?" he asked in a half-shout, leaning close to her ear to make himself heard over the loud rock music pouring from the speakers.

 

She nodded enthusiastically, teeth flashing in the dim light as she grinned. "Yeah! A couple of my friends are on the team, told me to come down sometime and check it out," she called back.

 

"And I had to be the one to do this why?"

 

"Can you really imagine Mom sitting here with me?"

 

Marco laughed. Their mom sat on the City Council and spent her free time cultivating a massive, Alice-in-Wonderland-worthy garden. She even quietly disapproved of him because instead of finishing college, he dropped out and became a mechanic. He couldn't imagine a place less suited for her. "Fair enough."

 

They waited as the stands filled up. Marco checked his phone. It was 7:38, which meant they still had over twenty minutes until the match started. He watched Mina scour the floor, brown eyes lit up with excitement, and grinned. The atmosphere was infectious, with the music still blaring and people screaming and cheering enthusiastically, some covered in body paint.

 

He watched the people he assumed were the refs circle the track lazily, skating easily along with their black and white shirts fluttering. One of them was the person who took their tickets at the door, he noticed, spotting the short man with black hair from the other side. Turning his eyes to the doors, he saw they had been hauled shut, another man in a black and white striped shirt leaning up against them. Another man in a black shirt and slacks and a red tie walked into the center of the ring, and the short ref veered over to talk to him.

 

They both turned as a bolt of neon green and black streaked across the warehouse floor from a door on the side, materializing into a tall woman on skates in front of them. Marco examined her, curious as to what a roller derby girl looked like. A long ash-blonde braid hung out of her helmet, and a black shirt hung loose over her lime green sports bra, secured around the waist with a little knot at her back. The color of her bra matched the knee socks she wore, leaving a bare expanse of thigh that vanished into short black shorts. Black pads covered her knees, elbows and wrists. At her appearance, a few people in the crowd started chanting "Beauty! Beauty!" She turned and gave them a grin and a wave.

 

Mina dug her elbow into his side. "That's Black-Eyed Beauty!" she cried, eyes fixed on the girl. "She's one of the co-captains of the Wings of Freedom, my friends' team."

 

Marco nodded, looking back at the skater on the track. She was skating away from the center now, but looking back over her shoulder as the short ref called something to her that Marco couldn't make out. Whatever it was, it must have been funny, since she threw her head back with a laugh that he could hear from where he sat, blonde braid whipping out over her shoulder. She crossed the floor in a few short strokes, vanishing into the back room again.

 

His sister stood up as two more girls appeared from the room Black-Eyed Beauty had just vanished into. "Hey, there's Eren and Arminne!" she crowed.

 

"Your friends?" Marco asked.

 

"Yeah! I'm gonna go talk to them, but I'll be right back."

 

"Don't get hit by a skater," Marco called after her, receiving only a hand wave in reply. He watched his sister dash across the floor towards the two derby girls, who skated over as soon as they saw her. They, too, were wearing bright green, the curvy brunette girl with a green tank top, black shorts and black fishnets, the blonde wearing neon leggings and a black tank. The blonde girl was wearing pads with a helmet tucked under her arm, chin-length hair held back from her face with a hairband. The brunette wasn't wearing any gear, though her helmet dangled from her hand. Her wavy brown hair was tied in a low, loose side ponytail that tumbled halfway down her torso.

 

He waited as they chatted excitedly for a few minutes, until the co-captain came back out of the room and rolled over to them. She and the blonde girl immediately returned to the room, both waving to his sister over their shoulders', the brunette following a minute later after exchanging a few more words with Mina.

 

When she got back up to him, he squinted at her suspiciously. "Why are you smiling like that?"

 

She sat down next to him before replying. "They offered to teach me how to play derby so I could replace a teammate they just lost," she said finally.

 

Marco choked on his own spit briefly. "Wh-WHAT?!"

 

She looked at him like he grew a second head. "Jesus christ, Marco, don't have an aneurysm."

 

"But... Roller derby... It's dangerous!" he spluttered, the older-brother compulsion to protest anything potentially harmful overriding the brain-block her announcement had left him.

 

She rolled her eyes. "As dangerous as sliding under cars every single day?"

 

"That's different! There are safety measures and procedures and equipment-" he shut up as she turned to him with the wicked smile that meant he just made her point for her.

 

She dropped the smile when she saw the look on his face and sighed. "Marco, there are rules to keep me from getting seriously hurt. Plus, roller derby sounds really fun, and before school starts in the fall I want to actually _do_ something with my summer."

 

He was silent.

 

"Look, I know you just want to protect me, okay? I get it. But I'm eighteen now so I can start making my own decisions, and besides-" she cut him off as he opened his mouth- "they really need another member on the team."

 

He closed his mouth slowly, then exhaled heavily. "Can I say maybe?"

 

Their brown eyes stared each other down momentarily before she nodded. "They want to know by the end of the bout tonight, though," she warned.

 

He sighed again. "Okay."

 

They sat for another couple minutes before the lights dimmed and the music faded out. The man with the red tie stepped up to the little stand in the center. Another two guys stood at a table set up below him, one next to a giant whiteboard holding a pen, the other with what looked like an iPad in front of him, as well as various sheets of paper scattered across the table.

 

The announcer tapped the microphone, making a loud popping noise echo across the warehouse. What little chatter there had been left died away. 

 

"Good evening, Derby fans!" he said into the mic, and the warehouse exploded again. He smiled and waited for the noise to fade before continuing. "Tonight's bout is between our two favorite teams of derby girls- the Titans and the Wings of Freedom!"

 

As the team names echoed across the track, the locker room doors burst open and five girls from each team streaked out. The Wings of Freedom were all wearing neon green and black while the Titans sported white and deep red. Two girls from each side had some sort of covering on their helmet, one with two stars on either side of the helmet and one with a stripe on each team. The girls with the stars rolled to a line maybe thirty feet back from the rest of the skaters. Marco recognized the blonde girl with the stripe on the Wings of Freedom side as Mina's friend from earlier. Another girl with a long red ponytail, a short girl with long gangly limbs and a girl with shoulder-length sleek black hair lined up next to her. The girl behind them with the stars for their team had a small frame and a light blonde ponytail sticking out from under her helmet. 

 

As they lined up, the announcer called their names. "Skating for Wings of Freedom this jam, we have Blonde Bombshell as jammer, Red Alert as pivot, and Princess Carnage, Medicate n Smashley and Hotwheelin Spudz as blockers!"

 

Amid the cheering, Marco let out a befuddled "what."

 

Mina laughed. "Okay, so the jammer is the one in back with the star," she explained as the announcer called the names of the Titans, "the pivot is the one with the stripe, and everyone else is a blocker. The jammer and the pivot are the only ones who can score, but only one of them can score each round, called a jam. To score, they have to make it through the pack of blockers. The jammer is automatically set as the scorer at the beginning of the jam, but she can hand her helmet-cover-thingy off to the pivot and have her be the scorer."

 

"Okay," said Marco slowly. "So-"

 

He was cut off by a short whistle blast, and the skaters exploded forwards. 

 

He watched as the blockers and pivots shoulder-rammed each other a few times before settling out into a rough formation. The Wings of Freedom pivot, Red Alert, he dimly recalled, hung near the front of the pack, casting glances back over her shoulder to watch their jammer's approach. The jammer, Blonde Bombshell, was small and fast, passing the other jammer and sliding by the first two Titans and the Wings of Freedom girl with the red ponytail before another Titan blocker slid up next to her and tried to shoulder-ram her. The jammer dropped her speed, letting her teammate behind her catch her and push her forward once the Titan blocker was out of her way, sliding through the rest of the pack without too much trouble and passing her own pivot. Red Alert gave her a nod as she skated past, and Blonde Bombshell put on a burst of speed, rocketing out of the front of the pack. A huge cheer went up as she drew away from the pack, slowly circling back around behind them to pass through again.

 

Meanwhile, the other team's jammer had gotten shoulder-slammed by both the black and red haired Wings of Freedom blockers, and was stuck behind the gangly one, Medicate n Smashley, and the pivot, who were skating side by side and blocking her from getting past. The other two blockers came up behind her, and the Wings of Freedom girls rotated their positions until the black-haired blocker, Princess Carnage, was in front, with the other two blockers and the pivot blocking the jammer's sides and back. As they cleared an opening in the pack, Blonde Bombshell shot through, racing ahead of the pack again. This time, half the people in the audience jumped to their feet, cheering.

 

"She scored!" Mina yelled at his side.

 

"Uh, okay," Marco shouted back, still confused.

 

The Wings of Freedom jammer scored two more points before the whistle sounded and the skaters slowed down, drifting back around the track until they could line back up. 

 

Mina turned to her brother, noting the way his eyes were locked on the skaters below. "So, what do you think?" she asked.

 

He was quiet for a long minute. "What position would you play?" he asked finally.

 

She squealed.

* * *

After half an hour of play, the teams switched out their players. Mina's other friend, apparently called Devil Hunter, played blocker, along with two other girls. One, Big Beth Breaker, was well over six feet tall, while the other, Amity Blackenblue, was only a couple inches shorter and more broad-shouldered than Marco. A small blonde girl called Anna Mosity was on pivot, and the co-captain he saw earlier, Black-Eyed Beauty, was the jammer.

 

They smashed the Titans, Beauty only "passing the star," as Mina called it, to Anna Mosity once to let her score. For their last play, Anna Mosity, Breaker and Blackenblue walled up the lane, with Devil Hunter skating just behind and guarding the gap, only letting the jammer through. She scored five points that round, making the final score 158 to 89.

 

As the whistle blew for the last time, Beauty rose from the crouch she was in and punched the air above her head, still skating around the track. The other Wings of Freedom girls ran out onto the track from where they had been watching on the sidelines, hugging their teammates and cheering loudly. The Titans shook their heads and drifted back to their own locker rooms, a few of them shooting dirty looks at the celebrating team. Beauty send them a wide grin and a blatant middle finger, although when the short ref glared at her she sheepishly lowered her arm.

 

Mina grabbed Marco's hand and tugged him down from the bleachers. He followed more slowly as she scampered towards Red Alert and Devil Hunter, who both lit up when they saw her and crashed into her for a three-person group hug. A few of the other girls started skating back to their locker rooms, accepting congratulations from the crowd that was streaming out through the wide doors of the warehouse.

 

Devil Hunter and Red Alert were grinning widely at Mina as she screeched over what a great job they had done, "especially in the last jam oh my  _god_ Eren that was so cool with the wall and you guarded the opening and then Beauty could get through and you just  _destroyed_ them that was  _awesome!_ " Devil Hunter, apparently actually named Eren, laughed loudly at the last part.

 

"You definitely have the spirit for this team," she grinned, green eyes flashing. Marco chuckled at his sister's enthusiasm.

 

"Is this your brother?" the blonde girl, Arminne, asked, spotting him waiting a few feet away.

 

Mina glanced back at him and nodded. "Yeah! Guys, this is Marco. Marco, this is Eren and Arminne, better known as Devil Hunter and Red Alert." She grinned as Eren pulled a dramatically angry face before switching back to a smile and sticking out her hand. Arminne shook Marco's hand after, smiling a little more placidly.

 

"Awesome! So we get the big-bro seal of approval as far as letting Mina play?" Eren asked playfully.

 

Marco smiled ruefully. "As long as you promise not to let her get hurt. Otherwise I'll bring my entire collection of tire irons down here and beat you with every single one," he joked.

 

The derby girls laughed. "Well, as co-captain of the team, I can promise you I will do my best," Eren assured him.

 

"You're a mechanic, right?" Arminne asked. Her voice was softer and higher than Eren's.

 

Marco nodded. "Has Meen been spreading rumors about me?"

 

"A couple," Arminne smiled.

 

The other co-captain came skating over from out of the changing room, shaking her head. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, and now that her head was uncovered Marco could see that the left side of it was clipped short and dark, the rest pulled over to the right side to make a loose, messy ash-blonde braid. "Oi, Jaeger," she said, and Eren turned, brows drawing together. "Your sister looks like she's about to throw Mosity down in the locker room."

 

"God dammit," Eren hissed, and skated off towards the back room. With a little wave an apologetic smile at the Bodt siblings, Arminne followed.

 

Black-Eyed Beauty came to a stop in front of them and grinned. Marco could definitely see where the beauty part of her derby name came in- she had high, sharp cheekbones and a long, thin nose, her angular face set with luminous amber eyes lined in thick black makeup. Her smile was wide and white, almost dangerous looking, and he could understand how such a girl could become captain of a team in such a violent sport.

 

 The derby girl turned to Mina, undoing her wrist guards as she spoke. "So you're the girl who's thinking of joining up, huh?" She waited for a nod of assent before she continued. "Sweet, because I have the day off tomorrow and I want to see how you skate. You free?"

 

"Um..." Mina thought for a second and nodded. "I should be. Oh, but..." She looked at Marco.

 

He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, thinking. "I have work until two tomorrow. I could take you after that."

 

His little sister's whole face lit up. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

 

Beauty laughed. "I like that enthusiasm, kid," she teased, mock-punching Mina in the arm. "Oh, shit, sorry," she added, sticking a hand out. "My real name is Jen Kirschtein."

 

Mina shook it enthusiastically, pigtails bouncing. "Mina Bodt!"

 

Jen smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mina. If you want you can run back to the locker room and ask around to see if you can borrow some skates for tomorrow, unless you have some?" Mina shook her head. "Head on back then. Eren's probably about your size."

 

"Thanks!" Mina called back as she bounded towards the back.

 

Jen chuckled again, watching her go. "High-energy kid, huh?" she asked Marco.

 

He nodded, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation. "She's great, though," he added.

 

She nodded. "Good. We could use it." She held her hand out again. "I'm sure you caught it, but my name's Jen."

 

He grabbed her hand with his own, hoping it wasn't too sweaty. "Marco Bodt."

 

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, teeth flashing again.

 

"Yeah, you too!"

 

"So, anything I can do for you?" she asked after a brief pause.

 

Marco cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling a little like the overprotective parent. "Umm... I hate to ask, but... do I need to be worried about, like, her safety or anything?"

 

Jen frowned in consideration, pulling off her elbow guards. He caught the flash of something tattooed on the inside of each of her wrists. "I've been doing derby for four years now, and the worst I've ever had is a broken wrist when I thought I could get by without my guards. Never had a girl get a worse injury than that, honestly. I totally get it, though," she assured Marco. "If anything happened to my little sister I would flip."

 

"And then our mom would kill both of us," Marco joked.

 

She laughed again. "Terrifying." She sobered up though, giving the question some real thought. "I'm not gonna lie to you, this sport can get rough," she said at length. "But your sister seems like a good kid, not a reckless idiot like Eren-" she rolled her eyes- "so as long as she doesn't start fights and knows to stay away from them, she'll be okay."

 

"Fights?"

 

"We have kind of a rivalry with the Titans," she explained, leaning down to unstrap the knee pads from her legs. "We've gotten into a couple fistfights out on the track with them over the years. Eren is usually the first on our side to throw a punch, but..." She shrugged. "I have once, Mikasa did once, and they're never unprovoked."

 

Marco was frowning, looking over towards where the Titans were filing out of the warehouse.

 

Jen followed his gaze. "Tell you what," she suddenly said. Marco turned back to face her, trying not to look too worried. "We're always looking for more refs. Give me your shoe size and I'll see what I can find for you to borrow, at least for tomorrow. Know how to skate?"

 

"Um, kinda," he said.

 

She waved a hand. "It's cool, I'll teach you. And you don't need to be as good as the girls. Then you can ref games and keep an eye on your sister yourself, yeah?"

 

She smiled at him, and Marco found himself nodding in agreement.

 

"Awesome! I should go make sure that Annie and Mikasa haven't actually killed each other yet. Oh, shoe size?"

 

"Uh, eleven."

 

"Eleven. Cool, I think Mike wears elevens. Thanks Marco! See you tomorrow!"

 

"Bye!" he called back at the blonde girl skated away back to the locker rooms. Once she had disappeared he mentally smacked himself in the forehead. Put a pretty, intelligent girl in front of him and he turned into a stuttering mess. No wonder he was single.


	2. Skate Fast, Turn Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco really excels at getting himself into situations he doesn't really understand or have the capacity to handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wanted to listen to Summer Skeletons by Radical Face while reading, that'd probably be cool.

The next day, Marco rushed home after work, taking a quick shower to get the motor oil out of his hair, and hopped in his truck to go pick up his sister. She practically sprinted out the door as he pulled up to the curb of their parents' home, waving a goodbye over her shoulder to their mom and throwing herself into the passenger seat.

 

"So Mom actually gave you the okay on this?" Marco asked as she piled inside.

 

"It took some pleading, but you know how I do," she answered cheekily.

 

"I almost pity her," he deadpanned as he pulled away from the curb, heading back to the roller rink on the edge of the industrial district.

 

"Heeey," Mina whined, pulling a mock-pouting face and turning to watch the streets of suburban Trost whiz by.

 

Marco laughed.

* * *

 As soon as he parked the truck outside the rink, Mina had tumbled out and was headed for the door. Marco shook his head, locking the door and following more slowly, watching as his sister vanished into the normal-sized door set in the warehouse wall next to the big sliders. A fan was just inside, blowing air in from the propped-open door, and he carefully avoiding knocking it over before raising his eyes to the rest of the roller rink.

 

It looked bigger when it wasn't crammed full of people and only half-lit. Big industrial lights on the ceiling were on, flooding the place with light, and the folding chairs had all been stacked into neat rows along the bleachers. Four skaters were gliding around the rink now, slower and more serene than the pace last night. Mina stood a few feet back from the track, and Marco walked up to stand next to her.

 

Two of the skaters he recognized as Eren and Jen. They were skating backwards, watching the two skaters behind them. They were calling out words of encouragement or advice as they went, like "cross that skate over, Nack!" or "nice stance, Millie, but drop it lower."

 

After a couple more laps, Jen called, "Okay, that should do it!" and the group slowed to a halt. Eren skated to the center, Jen clapping her on the shoulder as she went past towards the outside edge where Marco and Mina stood.

 

"All right, ladies, it's race time!" Eren shouted with a savage smile, waiting for the two other skaters to line up. "Give it all you got, you hear? Three, two, one..." She blew the whistle hanging around her neck, and Millie and Nack took off.

 

Jen watched them as she lazily rolled along the outside edge down to the siblings, offering a smile in greeting. She was dressed much more casually today, in dark wash jeggings and a scoopnecked gray t-shirt. The heavy black eyeliner had vanished too, and she looked a lot less intimidating than she had the previous night. Marco still felt absurdly nervous around her. "Hey guys. Ready to skate?"

 

"Hell yeah!" Mina cried, punching the air.

 

"Get suited up then," Jen told her, nodding towards the locker room. "Eren left some gear out for you on the far bench."

 

Mina nodded and jogged off. Jen toed herself over a little closer to Marco. "How 'bout you?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"Skating. You ready?"

 

"Oh! Oh, uh, yeah, I mean I guess. I can do my best, y'know..." He trailed off under the look Jen was giving him, equal parts confusion and amusement.

 

"Riiiight. Well, Levi dug me up a pair of size ten skates and blades. Didn't know which you'd prefer."

 

Marco thought for a second before he answered, "Blades."

 

Jen nodded, skating over to the bleachers in the corner nearest the dressing room, curling her fingers to get him to follow. "Been on 'em before?"

 

"Yeah, a few times. I'm not very good though..." Marco trailed off.

 

She shrugged with one shoulder. "Nack could barely skate when she got here and look at her now." Marco twisted to watch the two derby girls race around the track behind them, Eren shouting advice at them from the center. "Plus, you're just gonna be reffing. All you gotta do is keep up with the pack and make sure no one throws punches."

 

He turned back to her as they came up to the bleachers. There was a small pile of skates and pads sitting on the floor, and Jen used the toe of one of her skates to dig through it. "Do people throw punches sometimes?"

 

"Hell yeah," Jen snorted. "I've done it myself a couple times. It's playing dirty and you get put in the penalty box for one minute for it, but it's not a terrible tactic if the jammer is moving too fast or a blocker is too... block-y."

 

Marco nodded, trying not to look as confused as he felt, but eventually he gave up. "Block-y?"

 

Jen gestured widely, elbow pads in each hand now. "Yeah, you know, block-y. They block. They're block-y."

 

"Technical term?" he asked, fighting to keep the growing smile off his face.

 

"Well it fucking is now!" she shot back, shoving the pads into his arms with just the trace of a grin. Marco was glad to see it; he'd been a little worried he was actually annoying her. "Get this stuff on and stop harassing me."

 

He laughed, tucking one under his shoulder and sliding the other over his wrist and up to his elbow, velcroing the straps down tight. One he'd gotten all his pads- elbows, knees, and wrists- on, he turned to the skates, kicking his sneakers off.

 

Jen was watching the skaters, a little frown tugging at her mouth. "Oi, Millie!" she hollered across the warehouse. "Bend your knees a little more!"

 

"I've got this, Kirschtein! You keep an eye on your new pet!" Eren shouted back.

 

"You can go fuck yourself with an ice pick, Jaeger!"

 

"At least it isn't the only action I'm getting, you horse-faced bitch!"

 

Jen responded by sticking two middle fingers up and turning back to Marco, who was just finishing getting his skates on. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking about the very loud argument that just happened.

 

She waved a hand vaguely. "We don't really hate each other. I've known her for... shit, five years now? That's just how we roll," she explained.

 

"Oh, I see," he replied, then paused. "Did you just make a skating pun?"

 

She shot him an evil grin.

 

"Wow. That was terrible."

 

"Hey, I can find you an ice pick too, man," she cautioned, still smiling. "Get your helmet on."

 

He snagged it from the floor and plopped it on his head, fingers struggling to do the buckles with his wrist guards impeding his movement.

 

Jen reached for his face. "I got it."

 

He dropped his hands and stood still (well, as still as he could on skates) as her long fingers fiddled with the buckles under his chin. Now that he was wearing blades, he was taller than she was by a good three inches, and he found himself staring down at her amber eyes just visible through her eyelashes as she leaned in close to him. This close, he could see where the roots of her blonde hair were just starting to grow in dark. "There," she murmured after a second, looking up at Marco, nose practically brushing his chin.

 

Marco's breath hitched as his heart jumped.

 

After a second, her eyes went wide and she jumped back. "There!" she repeated more loudly.

 

"Right," he said a little dumbly.

 

She stared back at him. "Right," she echoed. Shaking her head a little, she blinked hard and turned, skating back to the track. "They should be finishing up soon."

 

Marco tried to walk after her, momentarily forgetting he was on skates, and nearly crashed to the ground. He flailed for a moment before regaining his balance, looking up to the sound of Jen's laughter.

 

"How the hell are you gonna be a ref if you can't even stand on the skates?" she snorted, still laughing.

 

A bright blush spread across his cheeks. "No, I've totally got this!" he insisted. "That was just a practice round!"

 

"A practice round for practice?" She laughed even harder.

 

"Yeah! Practice-practice is still more technical than block-y!" he defended.

 

"Oh whatthe _fuck_ ever, Bodt."

 

Marco laughed as she stuck her nose dramatically into the air and skated off towards the rink. He followed, a lot more slowly and less gracefully.

 

Millie and Nack left the track ahead of him, skating towards the locker room in back, both removing pads and unbuckling their helmets as they went. Eren hopped off the raised platform in the middle where the announcer had stood, walking over to them on bare feet with her skates in her hands. 

 

 "You gonna stick around?" Jen asked as Eren joined them on the edge of the track.

 

She nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to see how Mina does. Plus, Arminne and I thought we could take her shopping for gear after." Looking at Marco, she asked, "That cool with you? We can take her home too."

 

"Sure, as long as our mom is cool with it," Marco agreed.

 

 They all turned as Mina came out of the changing room, stepping carefully over the door jam, before skating over to them. The two cocaptains watched her movements carefully, Jen narrowing her eyes thoughtfully as Eren hummed a little and nodded to herself. Marco realized he was slowly rolling backwards and fumbled his blades a little before he managed to stop himself.

 

As Mina came to an awkward stop in front of them, smiling brightly, Eren bent over and started putting her skates back on. "Wanna explain the rules, Kirschtein?"

 

Jen nodded. "Okay, so roller derby is played in two thirty-minute periods that make up a bout. Each period is made up of a series of rounds called jams, which can be up to two minutes long. The lead jammer can stop the jam early if she wants. In each jam, each team has five players- a jammer, a pivot, and three blockers. The two jammers start out on the jammer line-" she pointed to the line farther back- "while everyone else starts at the pivot line. Pivots line up in front, then four blockers behind, then two behind them. One whistle blast starts the pack, two starts the jammers. The pack is the largest group in play that has blockers from both teams. First jammer to make it through the pack is the lead jammer- she's the one who can stop play if the other jammer is scoring too much. First time through the pack doesn't earn any points, but every time the jammer makes it through the pack after that is one point. The blockers, including the pivot, can try and stop the jammer by blocking with anything between their shoulders and hips except elbows and hands. Other contact will land you in the penalty box for a minute." She paused, thinking. Marco blinked at her, still confused. Mina was watching the captain intently.

 

Eren let out a long sigh, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "I think you broke them."

 

"Shut up, shortstop."

 

"Horseface."

 

Jen ignored her and looked back at the track, sticking a finger under and elbow pad and scratching absentmindedly. "We'll have Mina do some laps in the inner lane," she decided. "Marco, you'll be in the outer lane here, the ref lane. I guess-"

 

"IcallcoachingMina!" Eren yelped, grabbing Mina's arm and pulling her onto the track, ignoring Jen's sputtered protest.

 

"Ahhh, whatever," the blonde muttered. "Hey, Marco, let's go." She pushed off, gliding effortlessly into the outer lane and turning herself so she was skating backwards, watching him.

 

Marco swallowed and stepped hesitantly into the lane, stumbling a little as he started to move. Eventually his wobbling evened out and he fell into a rhythm, but he wasn't anywhere as fast as the derby girls. Jen watched him for a little, frowning, before turning back to face the front. She kicked off again, picking up speed immediately and flying around the track. As she came up behind him, she dragged the brake on the toe of her skate along the floor, slowing until she was matched to his pace.

 

"You need to loosen up," she told him.

 

"Loosen up?" Marco asked, eyes fixed on his skates.

 

"Yeah, loosen up. Relax. The skates aren't going to eat you, okay? You'll be fine. Loosen up, take longer strides, let yourself glide more, drop your shoulders," she rattled off.

 

Marco tried to do everything she listed at once and almost fell flat on his face. He managed to save himself the embarrassment, but only with flailing and a loud yelp.

 

She shook her head impatiently. "No, you're not relaxing. Come on, get your eyes off the floor and look at something else."

 

"Like what?" he asked, raising his eyes but flicking them downwards again almost immediately. He couldn't shake the fear that his skate was about to run into something on the ground and he'd fall.

 

A frustrated noise made its way out of Jen's mouth. "Like me," she snapped, skating in front of him and turning elegantly so she faced him.

 

He tried to look up at her, but he felt like his eyes were glued to his skates. She stuck a hand down in his line of vision and clicked her fingers. "Marco, seriously,  _look at me,_ " she commanded.

 

He finally raised his eyes far enough to lock them with her gold ones. The deep crease between her eyebrows smoothed out a little as he did. "There we go," she grumbled. "Keep looking at me, okay? It'll be better for your balance."

 

"Right," he said, but he was pretty sure nothing could save his balance at this point. 

 

She was still watching him, glancing behind herself occasionally as they moved slowly around the track. Marco kept trying to relax, but something about the feeling of the skates underneath him kept his whole body tensed up. After a couple minutes of silence, while they listened to Eren and Mina- who passed them several times per lap- practice, Jen spoke. "So you're a mechanic?"

 

"Oh, uh, yeah. Yes." Marco replied, a little surprised at the question.

 

"And you're... twenty-one?"

 

"Twenty-two, actually," he corrected.

 

"A year older than me, huh? How is it that you aren't wasting away in college, like Eren or Arminne or anyone else our age? Did you graduate already or something?"

 

He shook his head. "I dropped out halfway through my sophomore year."

 

She raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

 

He smiled, shrugging a little. "I didn't really like it, I guess? I never felt like I belonged in any of my classes and I couldn't really decide on a major. I had already started working at my dad's friend's garage about six months before, and I just... I don't know, I guess I liked it more than any of my classes."

 

"So you've been working there... two years?"

 

"Almost three now, yeah."

 

"Have you ever, like, completely redone a car then?"

 

His face lit up and he launched into a description of this old 1966 Ford F100 stepside truck that he had refurbished his second year at the auto shop. His boss has brought it in, unworking and half-destroyed, and told him to go nuts. Marco had had to rebuild and replace a good part of the engine, which was kind of a pain because the parts were so old he had to find them from various places online, fix up places where the body has rusted through, reupholster the seats, replace a window and install things like a decent radio and power windows and a new heating/air conditioning system. At the end, he got to pick out a color to repaint it, since the old dark red painting was mostly chipped off. He had settled on that shade of teal that was popular back in the sixties. 

 

"At the end, my boss gave it to me," he told Jen proudly. "Told me it had been a test to see how well I worked and that I had passed with flying colors. I still drive her too. She's a beauty."

 

A crooked smile was tugging at the corner of Jen's mouth. "Do you feel that?" she asked suddenly.

 

"Feel wh-" He started to ask, but stopped abruptly as he realized he was gliding around the track easily without realizing it. He stared at Jen, eyes wide, body starting to stiffen up again as he became conscious of his movements.

 

She held her hands out. "No no no, you're doing really well," she encouraged. "Just remember how that feels."

 

"This is kind of terrifying," Marco admitted.

 

Her teeth flashed as she laughed. "Yeah, it is for everyone. Just remember the derby motto, yeah? Skate fast and turn left. There's no room for second guessing yourself."

 

He nodded and repeated the words.

 

Jen grinned again, and Marco's eyes were drawn to the little crinkle her nose got when she smiled like that. "See? You're gonna be a ref in no time," she told him,  flipping back to face the front and do another lap around the track.

 

He followed her with his gaze. "Skate fast and turn left," he told himself.

* * *

It was close to five before they stopped practicing for the day. A man that Marco recognized as the short ref came in and walked over, watching them skate with an expression that conveyed nothing but utter boredom. Jen waved when she noticed him and Eren shouted "Hey Dad!" from where she was showing Mina the best way to push your skates out to accelerate in the inner ring.

 

Marco watched as she left Mina, slapping her on the shoulder and jogging over to the man. His expression didn't change at all as she threw her arms around him, but one of his arms snaked around her waist in a half-hug. 

 

Jen followed his gaze. "That's Levi," she told him. "He's the manager of the rink, Eren and Mikasa's adopted dad." She slowed down and headed for the edge of the track, waving Mina over. "The rink's probably open for normal skating tonight," she explained to the siblings as she plopped down on a bleacher and started taking her skates off. "So we should clear out." She took her helmet off, scraping her messy blonde hair into a ponytail as she spoke to Mina. "You looked good today. Definitely have promise. I'd love to have you on the team as a blocker if you want."

 

Mina squealed and clapped her wrist guards together. "Yes yes yes pleeease!"

 

Jen grinned. "Welcome aboard then. I think Eren's gonna get you geared up-" she lifted her eyes to watch Eren walking towards them, tapping out a text on her phone- "so all that's left is to practice your ass off."

 

Mina nodded. "I'll be here whenever I can," she promised.

 

"Good, but it's not just that. Practice skating at home too. Get comfortable on your skates, because you need to be for derby." Her eyes were serious.

 

Mina saluted. "Will do, cap'n!"

 

Jen snorted and shook her head, pointing to the changing room. "Go change, soldier."

 

The younger girl saluted again and raced off to the locker room.

 

The captain looked back at Marco. 

 

"I'm sorry I was so terrible," he said in a rush. "I probably shouldn't try to be a ref or anything, I'm really not that good at skating-"

 

Her eyebrows snapped together. "Shut up," she said. Marco was surprised by the harsh tone in her voice. A nervous weight settled in his stomach. He wasn't sure what he'd done to upset her. "You're not fast, sure, but why the fuck does that mean you can't be? Don't just fucking give up. Keep practicing."

 

He blinked, surprise erasing his anxiety. "But... I can't skate well enough..."

 

She stood, quite a bit shorter than him now without her skates on, but her fierce expression was enough to make him want to back up. "There is no such god damn thing as 'well enough,'" she spat. "You skate how you skate, and fuck everyone else's expectations. You'll get more confident if you keep practicing and do it more, but don't just do it to meet someone else's standards."

 

He thought for a second. "I want to keep skating..." he said slowly. "I want to support Mina, and honestly," he hesitated for a second. "It was fun. But I don't want to waste your time or the team's time and never get good enough to actually referee the bouts."

 

She shook her head. "If you like it, it's not a waste of time. Of _anyone's_ time," she added, seeing his mouth open. "Whenever you want to skate and I have free time, I'll help you out. Don't quit just because you don't think you can do it."

 

He wavered again before nodding. "I'd like to keep practicing, I guess," he decided.

 

Her smile was softer than he'd ever seen it before. "So we keep practicing. Take off your stuff," she added over her shoulder as she headed towards the lockers, skates in hand. "I'll be back in a sec."

 

"Okay," he replied as he sat down on the bleachers and started undoing the velcro on his blades. He hissed in pain as he peeled his socks off and found a small collection of blisters on his toes, prodding them carefully with a finger. A hand suddenly thrust some band aids into his view, and he looked up, startled, to see Levi standing there. The manager still looked completely bored.

 

"Oh, uh, hi," Marco ventured. 

 

The man just sniffed a little and looked him over.

 

"Um, thank you," Marco added, taking the bandages he was still holding out.

 

Levi nodded and said, "Thank you for adding yet another shitty brat to the herd of cats I have to look out for," before turning and walking away, leaving Marco blinking after him and wondering what he'd done wrong.

 

 Eren plopped down on the bench next to him, nodding after her dad's retreating back. "Was he an asshole?"

 

"Did I say something bad?" Marco asked.

 

She laughed. "Nah, he's always like that. You can usually just ignore it. He seems like a total dick but he's not actually that bad."

 

Marco stayed silent as she paused.

 

"... Okay, maybe he is that bad. He doesn't mean it like that, though," she assured him.

 

"Right," he said doubtfully.

 

She jostled him with her shoulder playfully before standing up. He resisted the urge to rub at the sore spot. "Seriously, he doesn't hate you any more than he hates everyone."

 

"What about you?"

 

"He tolerates me and Mik. And Hanji. And Erwin. But that's about it."

 

"I... see."

 

Eren smiled at him. "Don't worry, Marco. Levi's not very friendly but everyone else likes you. Well, everyone who met you," she amended. "We're gonna have to introduce you guys to the rest of the team soon..." She trailed off, digging her phone out of the bag slung over her shoulder as it beeped. Marco tried not to snicker as he recognized it as the Kim Possible tone. "Oh shit," she muttered, then looked back up at him, shoving her phone back into her bag. "Hey, I gotta go, but I'm glad you and Mina are joining the crew. See you later!" 

 

"Bye!" Marco called as she jumped up and ran towards the locker room. She emerged a few seconds later with Mina in tow. Marco watched as his sister tried to follow her friend while hopping on one foot and pulling her shoe on the other. 

 

Mina waved to him as she got her boot on and ran across the floor after Eren. "See you later, Marco!" she yelled.

 

"Don't forget to be home before curfew!" he called after her. She raised a hand in acknowledgement, sprinting out the door. He shook his head, smiling, and started wrapping the band aids around his blistered toes.

 

He had his sneakers back on and half of his pads off before Jen emerged from the locker room. She was tapping away furiously on her phone, a one-shouldered backpack slung across her back. She was wearing sneakers now, and had a loose flannel button down open over the top of her t-shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She came to a stop next to Marco, sliding her phone into her back pocket and twisting to dig through her bag. "Eren take off?" she asked, sounding a little absentminded.

 

"Yeah."  
  


"Mm."

 

They looked up as Levi called to them from the center ring. "Hey Kirschtein! Take your boy toy and get the fuck out!"

 

Marco felt his face flush bright red as Jen made an incoherent spluttering noise next to him. "Fuck you, Levi!" she yelled back, voice somewhat higher than normal.

 

"I don't think it's me you're fucking."

 

"Okay, okay, we're going!" she hollered over her shoulder as she pushed Marco towards the door. He undid his last elbow pad, holding it up and opening his mouth to ask where he should leave it. As he turned to her, he noticed her cheeks were pink too. "No," she interrupted. "Don't stop. Just fucking chuck it and run. He won't let up until we leave."

 

"Um... Okay," he said, dropping the pad on the ground and following Jen as she jogged towards the exit.

 

She breathed out a long sigh of relief as they walked out of the door and into the bright sun of the summer afternoon, Marco squinting against the sudden glare. "That man terrifies me."

 

"I only just met him and I'm already terrified," Marco confessed. 

 

"You're gonna go far, Bodt."

 

He laughed, watching her grin back at him and tuck a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she started digging in her backpack again.

 

"Here we go," she said, pulling out a beat-up notebook and a pen. Opening it to the last page, she pulled the pen's cap off with her teeth and scribbled something down before recapping the pen and sticking it back into her pack. She ripped the bit of paper off and held it out to Marco. "My number," she explained. "So you can text me about practice and stuff."

 

"Oh, yeah, right," Marco responded, taking the paper and trying to calm his heart down. It had kicked into high gear at the words "my number."  _Don't be stupid, Bodt,_ he scolded himself.  _It's not like she was asking you out. "_ I will. Definfitely." _  
_

 

"Cool." She put her notebook away and fished out a pair of aviator sunglasses. "I'm gonna head home now. Marco..." she hesitated, looking like she was searching for the words. "I know you don't think so, but you really do have potential. Don't give up, okay?"

 

He gave her a smile. "'Course not. Skate fast and turn left, right?"

 

She grinned back. "Exactly."

 

They stood there for another second before she turned and started walking towards the road with a wave and a "bye" over her shoulder. Marco watched her walk away before going over to his truck and getting in. He didn't leave right away though. He stared at his hands, resting on the steering wheel. The sun, low in the sky, streamed in through the windows, turning everything that particular shade of soft yellow the air always seemed to be in the summer, sparkling off dust motes dancing in the air. He closed his eyes, the sunlight mixing with gold eyes and blonde hair in his head.

 

"What am I getting myself into," he whispered to the empty truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have no idea what I'm doing.
> 
> And this is like the latest second chapter ever.
> 
> Oops.
> 
>  
> 
> (Also feedback/kudos is really cool)

**Author's Note:**

> This all happened because I was thinking about roller derby and that one picture of fem!Jean hugging Marco from behind (http://johannathemad.tumblr.com/post/70568673745/theres-a-big-lack-of-marcoxfem-jean-so-im-fixing)
> 
> Comments and kudos are seriously appreciated (especially because I really have no idea how roller derby works whoops)


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